Rugrats: Meet Nicky
by Jerry Schuller
Summary: Tommy, Chucky, Kimi and Dil meet a boy named Nicky at the Happy Town Daycare Center. Nicky has spina bifida and can't walk very well. Tommy feels bad because Nicky appears inferior... or is he?


Rugrats – Meet Nicky

Act I

INTERIOR: INSIDE PICKLES FAMILY VAN. DIDI DRIVING.

Tommy, Dil, Chuckie, and Kimi in back seat. Car is moving. Drone of motor can be heard.

EXTERIOR: BIRDS EYE VIEW OF FRONT OF HAPPYTOWN DAYCARE CENTER

Pickles family van drives up.

INTERIOR: HAPPYTOWN DAYCARE CENTER, MAIN ENTRANCE.

Kids can be heard playing in background. Enter Didi carrying Tommy and Dil. Kimi and Chuckie are walking beside them.

DIDI (TO TOMMY, CHUCKIE & KIMI)

Have fun guys.

She kisses them on the head.

DIDI (TO DIL)

Let's take you to the infants nursery.

Didi walks off with Dil.

INTERIOR: MAIN PLAY AREA

Many kids including Tommy, Chuckie, and Kimi running around playing on the baby-gym equipment.

Enter Nicholas (Nicky). Nicky wears leg braces & uses a walker. The walker has 4 small wheels on the bottom.

Tommy sees Nicky from a distance. He notices that he does not run around and play on the equipment like the other babies do and that he pushes the walker around with him wherever he goes. Tommy walks up to him.

TOMMY

Hey, Kid! You wanna come over and play with us?

NICKY

Sure! My name's Nicky.

TOMMY

I'm Tommy. Why do you wear those silly looking things on your legs? And why do you push that wheel thingy around?

NICKY

Well, my mommy says it's because my legs don't work right. I can't even stand up without my braces & walker.

Chuckie & Kimi join Tommy.

KIMI

Hi, I'm Kimi, and this is my big brother Chuckie. Were about to play 'Bring Around the Rosies'. It's where we all join hands and dance around in a circle really fast until we get so dizzy we fall down. Wanna play it with us?

NICKY (sorrowfully)

uh… well… no thanks.

TOMMY

Aww, who wants to play a dumb game of Bring Around the Rosies anyway? How 'bout we… play over on the slide?

NICKY

Uh, Tommy? I can't get up the latter.

TOMMY

Oh.

CHUCKIE

I know! Let's just sit quietly and roll the ball around. That's safe enough.

INTERIOR: ANOTHER PART OF PLAYROOM NEXT TO THE WALL.

Tommy, Chuckie, Kimi and Nicky are sitting in a circle rolling the ball to one another. Nicky sits with his back to the wall. The walker stands next to him. Tommy & Kimi are getting bored.

KIMI

Can we play hopscotch instead?

TOMMY

Kimi!

KIMI

Oh, sorry.

Tommy Stands

TOMMY

That does it! It's not fair that Nicky can't play Bring Around the Rosies, or play on the slide, or play hopscotch, or run around like other babies! We must make Nicky a regular baby!

CHUCKIE

Oh, great! Why do I get the feeling he's about to drag me into something I know is not a good idea?

INTERIOR: PLAYROOM – OPEN AREA.

Chuckie & Kimi watch as Tommy pulls the walker away from Nicky.

TOMMY

Ok, Nicky! Start walking and be free!

Nicky struggles to keep his balance and falls flat on his face.

INTERIOR: PLAYROOM. BOTTOM OF SLIDE LATTER.

TOMMY

Don't worry, we'll help ya!

Before he can object, Tommy & Kimi begin to shove Nicky up the latter. Chuckie turns around and covers his eyes.

CHUCKIE

I can't watch!

They finally get him up top

TOP OF SLIDE

NICKY

I forgot to tell you guys this, but… I can't sit up by myself very well!

Nicky tumbles forward and rolls down the slide.

BOTTOM OF SLIDE LOOKING UP

Nicky rolling down slide like a bowling ball

MIDDLE OF SLIDE FACING DOWN & AWAY FROM IT

Nicky rolls across the floor crashing into a building of blocks knocking them down like bowling pins.

PILE OF FALLEN BLOCKS

Nicky is sprawled among the blocks face first on the floor and chirping birds can be heard.

FADE TO:

INTERIOR: PLAYROOM. ENTRANCE TO PLAYTUBE (THE SLIDE THAT STRECHES THROUGHOUT ROOM).

Tommy looks sad as he sits on edge of tube entrance with his elbows resting on his knees & head resting on his hands. Chuckie & Kimi stand facing him.

TOMMY

I sure wish we coulda helped him.

KIMI

You tried, Tommy.

Chuckie & Kimi walk off in separate directions as Tommy retreats into the tube.

INTERIOR: PLAYROOM – OPEN AREA

A bully walks up to Chuckie & grabs him by the shirt. Seeing this from a distance, Nicky comes charging at the bully with his walker and plows him over. The bully gets up and runs off crying.

CHUCKIE

Wow! Thanks!

NICKY

Hey! Don't mention it!

EXTERIOR: PLAYROOM - OUTTER SIDE OF PLAY TUBE - UNDERNEATH

Tube shakes as kids run through it. A bolt comes loose and falls toward us.

INTERIOR: INSIDE PLAY TUBE

Tommy is walking inside the tube by himself when his foot gets stuck in an opening left by the missing bolt.

TOMMY

Oh, no! I'm stuck!

Tommy reaches into his diaper and pulls out his plastic screwdriver and tries to pry himself loose. The screwdriver is too short, thus he can't get enough leverage. The screwdriver then falls through the opening.

INTERIOR: PLAYROOM – BELOW PLAYTUBE

Nicky sees the screwdriver fall and land next to him. He looks up and sees Tommy's foot stuck in the opening. He rushes over to the tube opening, pushes his walker aside and crawls into the tube dragging his almost lifeless legs behind him. It gets tougher as the tube slopes upward. The tube levels off. He crawls around a curve until he finds Tommy. He then pulls a rod off his leg braces and wedges it in the opening and pries Tommy's foot loose.

INTERIOR: PLAYROOM – NEAR ENTRANCE

A small wheelchair sits beside the doorway. Tippy, the daycare councilor, stands nearby.

TIPPY

Snacktime everyone!

Several kids begin exiting the playroom. Nicky sets aside his walker as he gets into the wheelchair and wheels his way to the snack room.

INTERIOR: SNACKROOM

Children are sitting at tables eating. As one of them finishes the last of a banana, he tosses the peel onto the floor behind him. Not seeing it, a daycare councilor, carrying Dil, slips on it. Dil goes flying. Nicky comes zooming in his wheelchair and catches him. They're about to hit the wall when Nicky hits the break on his left wheel. The chair spins 180 degrees to a halt.

EXTERIOR: LARGE WADING POOL

Pool has a cement "island" in the middle of it. Tommy & Chuckie playfully splash one another.

Kimi heads to the island.

KIMI

Wow! This is like being on a river in the jumble!

Cut to close up on Chuckie-

CHUCKIE

Wait! Don't jumble rivers have…

DISTANT BIRDS EYE VIEW.

The pool has become a river in a jungle. Kimi is on the island in the middle of the river. Everyone is now wearing safari clothes. Tommy & Chuckie are knee deep in the water.

CHUCKIE

…piranhas!

CUT TO:

Tommy & Chuckie still in their imaginary attire. They run ashore.

CHUCKIE

Kimi! Don't get back in the water! The piranhas will bite you!

KIMI

Oh, no!

Large toothed piranhas are seen jumping out of the water.

CHUCKIE

What're we gonna do, Tommy? What're we gonna do?

NICKY

Stand back!

Tommy & Chuckie step to opposite sides of the camera to reveal Nicky. Nicky takes his walker into the water and heads to the island. Tommy & Chuckie watch in amazement as the piranhas keep biting his legs and they seem to have no effect on him at all! Nicky reaches the island, turns around and Kimi climbs onto his back. With considerable effort, he manages to get Kimi safely ashore.

The scene then changes back to the daycare center pool.

TOMMY

Didn't those fishies hurt ya?

CHUCKIE

Weren't you scared?

NICKY

Nah. Since my legs are paralyzed, I don't feel pain in them.

TOMMY

Wow! Well, you may not be able to do ALL the things other babies can do, but you can still do lots of other things and be just as much fun!

FADE TO BIRDS EYE VIEW

FADE OUT

END CREDITS

THE END


End file.
